The Cat O' Nine Tails

When I hear the name of director Dario Argento, I immediately think of his classic horror masterpiece "Suspiria." The writer/director, of course, made slews of other feature films, and many of them fall into the mystery/thriller category. Arrow Video's latest Argento release, "Cat O' Nine Tails," is one of those mystery films, but at two hours long the movie slightly overstays its welcome.

"Cat O' Nine Tails" will be for those huge Dario Argento film fans, but this film may frustrate some with its emphasis on dialogue-heavy scenes. It also has actors who disappear for half of the movie, only to come back at the end. But the film has many elements that make a successful Argento suspense thriller.

Karl Malden plays a blind man who aids an aggressive reporter as four people are murdered in London. Like most of Dario Argento films, the film features a combination of American and Italian actors, where a lot of the dialogue was dubbed in English. And, like other Argento films, the murder sequences (one involving a body getting crushed by a speeding train) are quite violent, graphic, and done in bizarre close-ups.

The finale of "Cat O' Nine Tails" becomes anti-climatic, save for the final death sequence. In short, this feature isn't one of Dario Argento's more memorable feature films.

Faring much better is the array of special features on Arrows Blu-ray:

"Nine Lives" - a 2017 interview with Dario Argento

"The Writer O' Many Tales" - a talk with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti

"Child Star" - an interview with actress Cinzia De Carolis

"Original Ending" - a look at the script pages of the original ending

"Cat O' Nine Tails"Blu-ray$39.95www.arrowvideo.co.uk

Ken Tasho is a Corporate Drone by day and Edge Contributor by night. He has a love for all things ’80’s and resides in the Wayland Square area of Providence, RI...but would much rather be sharing an apartment in NYC with ’80’s rock goddesses Pat Benatar and Deborah Harry.